


Monsters That We Made to Face

by FreakCityPrincess



Category: Jurassic World (2015), Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Jurassic World Fusion, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Canon and Legends/EU Character Cameos, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, Jurassic Park nostalgia recreated with Star Wars characters, No Fallen Kingdom spoilers, The Death Star and the Indominus Rex I see no difference
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2019-02-27 06:09:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13242093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreakCityPrincess/pseuds/FreakCityPrincess
Summary: Jyn Erso has always hated her father's work - the nature of it, the fame that came with it, and the fact that she has almost never seen him in person since she was sixteen years old. But she's finally learning to live with her fragile connection to Galen- when her stupid friends plan their long-awaited summer vacation to her father's place of work. Or, a cruel imitation hell-on-earth whose principles she in no way wants to endorse.And then Jyn discovers what's really been keeping her father away for so long; InGen's new project is a terrifying result of man playing God.Jyn carelessly tossed a Dino-Chili crisp over the rail that kept them away from the stomach-dropping, bottomless ravine. "Don't worry, Bodhi," she smiled a vicious, humourless smile. "I'm sure everything will get much, much worse."





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I was watching the new Jurassic World trailer some time ago and it occurred to me that R1 and the previous movie have the following striking similarities:  
> 1) Scientists  
> 2) Deadly thing that the scientists shouldn't have created  
> 3) A good-looking guy in a jacket  
> 4) An island/tropical location  
> And I absolutely _had to_ write this. The only problem is, life is getting busier by the day and I already have two series of ongoing fanfiction and very little time. But I've been a major fan of the Jurassic Park franchise my whole life, and kriff it, I'm going to do this!  
>  This is also the first AU outside of the Star Wars universe that I've ever written, so do give me your opinion on the modern rendering of these characters as well :)  
> [Look at Moodboard 1! ](https://hoofgirl.tumblr.com/post/169259947182/rogue-onejurassic-world-au-youre-going-to)

_"You're going to stay this time, right, Papa?"_

_Galen startled from where he'd drifted off into absent thinking, looking down at his eight-year-old daughter who was currently lying on her stomach and neatly weaving lines with chalk on her colouring book, the white floor around her littered with paints, crayons and coloured things in general that smeared on the tiles. Lyra had had the foresight to invest in washable porcelain for Jyn's room; it was the only place in the house in which she was allowed to open a box of paint. Right now Jyn looked up at him with her big green-brown eyes that had small flecks of gold, an unusual feature he found endearing, a little detail that had caught his attention the first time he'd laid eyes on her. His stardust, he thought fondly._

_"Papa," prompted Jyn, nudging his foot. He sat on her bed with his laptop and two folders of documents from work. "You're going to stay, right?"_

_Galen schooled his features so they didn't reveal the pang in his heart at the question._

_"I can't stay, Stardust," he smiled gently. "But I can visit more often than last year. I'll get to be home a couple of times a month."_

_Jyn stopped her colouring and sat up. "A month?"_

_In the best case, thought Galen, but out loud he said with a cheery disposition, leaning forward on his knees, "How long is a month, Jyn?"_

_"Thirty one days," replied the girl automatically. "Or thirty. February has twenty eight."_

_Galen beamed. "Clever girl! You know, a couple of times a month is almost..." He leaned in conspiratorially, lowering his voice like he was disclosing a secret. "Once a week."_

_Jyn didn't look as happy about this revelation as he'd expected._

_Well of course, Galen, damn you. A child's not supposed to her father only once a week. It's better than last year, but it's not right to think she'll like it._

_The previous year had been busy and, in all honesty, groundbreaking for him. The previous year InGen had hired him. Almost the entirety of the previous year had been spent on research and experiments he couldn't do at home, or anywhere remotely close to home. A project that had been ten years in the making, although he'd joined at the last stretch, the results of which would be officially declared open to the public in another two years. Lyra still wasn't sure, but she was sworn to secrecy. In his excitement Galen had dropped a couple of hints for his daughter as well, like the big Dinosaur colouring book she passionately filled up now._

_Seeing his daughter like this, however, lips turned downwards and upset, it felt like not even the biggest, most hard-fought achievement of his engineering career was worth it. But pulling out of InGen was out of the question; his contract was so strict and inflexible it may as well have been imprinted on his skin._

_Whatever pathetic half-assurance he'd been about to give his daughter died down on his tongue when he heard the doorbell ring from downstairs. He sat up straight, mind focused in an entirely different direction. He only affectionately ruffled his daughter's long hair, which was half-tied and unruly, before adjusting the collar of his shirt and leaving the room._

_Galen had been mildly sceptical it was not a joke when Krennic had called earlier and said he'd like to drop by. Now after a long exchange of pleasantries at the front door, which Lyra had opened, Galen invited the lead Project Director into his living room for the discussion about the Park's opening, its sponsors, its order of operation._

_At some point, Jyn padded down the stairs quietly, a paintbrush and a muddy-looking cup of water in hand, pausing just a moment to regard the stranger who sat with his back to her._

_Galen was too absorbed in a written contract to notice. Krennic, who sipped a welcome drink while he worked, glanced over his shoulder to the stairs._

_He offered a slight smile, and Jyn bolted back the way she'd come._

###### 

"We have two more days of Shit-Lord to go through before we're on a flight to fabulous Las Vegas," Bodhi sounded just _too_ cheery for her liking as he handed her a catalogue of hair products. "Hey, see anything you like?"

Jyn took the catalogue from his hand with an eyebrow that touched her hairline. "Hair products."

"Of course," Bodhi pulled himself up to sit on her desk. "People are always asking me how I get my luscious locks-"

Jyn snorted very loudly.

Bodhi poked her shoulder. "And seeing as my best friend is contemplating chopping all of her perfectly fine hair off, I decided to do something about it."

"Shouldn't _you_ be the one recommending products, then?"

Bodhi sputtered. "Well, look, I- that's not the point! You should just learn to take care of it like any normal person."

"It's high maintenence, I don't have time for that, I'm cutting it like Chirrut's," said Jyn conclusively. "Anyway, what were you saying about LA?"

Bodhi ducked his head sheepishly. "We, uh. We're not going to LA, exactly, because...you know, it's expensive and stuff. But we're definitely going somewhere."

Jyn leaned back in her chair. "Spill it."

It was Bodhi's turn to snort. "What, and ruin your birthday surprise? Baze would murder me."

Jyn groaned. "My birthday's on the _last day_ of our holiday. I still don't get why this thing must be wrapped up as my birthday present rather than our, you know, _normal_ trip at this time of _every_ year?"

"Doesn't always fall on your birthday," Bodhi pointed out. 

"Look, you have to tell me _something!_ How will I know what clothes to pack or...or what to tell my mother?"

"Firstly," Bodhi took out his phone like they'd had this conversation so many times before that he didn't even feel obligated to look at her face when he spoke. "Your mom already knows. Secondly," and here he started texting someone. "You knowing won't make a difference because you wear the same clothes for everything."

Jyn scowled. "I don't."

"Yes you do. That peach sweater is on two different Christmas albums, your famous brown boots are probably expired, your Avengers t-shirt can be seen in every fourth picture on my phone-" He abruptly stopped texting, and peered at the screen in surprise. For the longest time he said nothing. Then a slow grin broke out on his face. "And thirdly, Cassian _freakin'_ Andor is joining us on the trip. You're welcome."

Jyn had been about to say something significantly scathing like _At least I don't have five Spiderman pajamas_ before this delivery. Her jaw dropped open almost comically. 

"I'm telling him you're excited to have him on board," Bodhi went back to his phone. 

"W-Wait!" exclaimed Jyn, sitting bolt upright. "What did you- _Cassian?_ "

Her friend wore a terribly indulgent smirk. "Well, I thought he should be a surprise, but he insisted you had to approve first. As if you wouldn't."

Cassian knew she'd always approve - they were good friends, close, and they knew each other's stories and had been there for each other whenever it was called for, the past three years. They'd met at an advanced programming course and stuck together because everyone else had either been hostile or weird. If Cassian was doubting she'd be happy to see him, it probably meant something else was coming with him. 

Jyn massaged her temples in, suddenly feeling very tired. "Kay's on board as well, isn't he?"

Bodhi reached out to pat her reassuringly on the shoulder. "There there. Don't worry, I'll keep him distracted if you guys need to make out or anything."

" _What is wrong with-_ " started Jyn furiously, but she swallowed her words the moment Bodhi hurriedly jumped off her desk and scrambled to hide himself _behind_ it. She spun around and, sure enough, Dirk Vader stood in her cubicle, looking like he had another assignment and was really not amused. 

"Sir," Jyn got to her feet respectfully, trying to suppress all thoughts of her friend hiding behind her desk. 

"Erso," he stiffly held out a thick file. "Mandalorian Exchange insists they found several issues with the software we developed for their marketplace initiative. You were in charge of the team that finalised what we gave them. I want to see these _issues_ confirmed and notified to everyone concerned by tomorrow."

Jyn took the file from him, slowly. This many flaws in the software couldn't be possible. It just _couldn't._ And if she had only one day to go through it- one day before she went on painfully fought-for _leave_ -

Her boss was already outside when he called to her in his usual mechanical voice. "Have you seen Rook recently?"

Jyn shook her head. 

"Tell him he has three weeks to deliver on the Scarif project. He cannot fail me this time."

Pressing her lips tight together, Jyn managed a small nod. 

She only released her breath when his retreating footsteps had completely faded from earshot.

###### 

Jyn may have landed a decent job thanks to her decent enough education that her mother had wholeheartedly tired for and her father had sponsored from...wherever he'd been, but she was still young, and like most young people didn't earn nearly as much as she needed for many comforts in her life. Her job had required moving to a different state and thus forgoing her parents' nice, comfortable house. For three and a half years she'd learnt even more self-reliance than before (she hadn't got to stay at home during her brief term in college either) and maintained an adequate (to put it generously) apartment which she shared with her colleague and best friend Bodhi.

Her colleague and best friend who was being a bit of an ass at the moment, unfortunately. 

"I need the bathroom, dammit!"

"No you don't," hummed Bodhi from inside her room, which he'd locked her out of. "What you need is to watch something on TV until I'm done here."

Jyn wrang the doorknob in frustration. "For the last time, I can bloody well pack my own luggage!"

"Not if Casanova is coming on the trip."

Jyn swore vicariously. "Will you _stop_ calling him that? It's honestly ridiculous!"

Bodhi started singing the song from _Wreck It Ralph_ instead of facilitating that with a reply.

Jyn cursed under her breath for what she was sure was the ninth or tenth time since they'd arrived home, before resigning herself to the couch and pulling out her phone. Leia had texted a minute ago.

_Leia(QUEEN <3): Got off from work? _

Leia herself had been the one to save her contact details. Jyn languidly typed in a reply. Damn it, trying to break the door down had sapped her of her energy. 

_Yes just now. U still there?_

Leia's response-time was record-breaking for a long message. 

_Leia(QUEEN <3): Dirk made me wait and look into this mandalorian thing?? U should see the size of this file. I think they're just shitting us. That software was prefect. _

_Leia(QUEEN <3): well who cares about that shit anyway when we're going on leave in one more day. I can't wait_

Jyn keyed in an annoyed reply.

_Bodhi that jerk won't tell me where we're going._

_Leia(QUEEN <3): I know. I told him not to. _

_ADFKJJSG_

_Leia(QUEEN <3): It's your birthday present, jyn, and people don't normally say what's in the box when they give it, now do they? _

Another message notification peeped into the corner of her screen. 

_Cass♡: Hi._

Jyn didn't question where the heart had come from. Bodhi had a habit of snatching her phone whenever he found it unlocked. She clicked the notification window before it could close. 

_Hi, heard you're coming on the trip?_

She got a reply in two seconds. 

_Cass♡: Yeah, it was nice of Bodhi to call me. Small problem though._

Jyn rolled her eyes. 

_I can guess._

She pictured Cassian looking a tad sheepish. 

_Cass♡: Yeah... Kay's coming._

_I thought he couldn't stand me? Can't believe he wants to come._

_Cass♡: No you're right, he can't stand you_

_Cass♡: he wants to come because of the place actually. which I'm not supposed to tell you abt._

The heart symbol was really grating on her nerves. It somehow made replying to this perfectly normal stream of messages difficult.

_Leia(QUEEN <3): jYn aRE yOU evEn tHEre aNyMoRE_

Jyn sighed, long and suffering. She didn't have the mental energy to deal with two conversations at the same time now.

_Battery low._

_Leia(QUEEN <3): you liar_

_Leia(QUEEN <3): you were hogging the good charging port the whole evening there's no way you're running out _

Or to deal with Leia's smartassery. 

_Cass♡: Jyn, are you ok with with him coming?_

Right, right, Cassian was starting to come off as guilty. She probably should deal with that. 

_No its fine, he can come as long as he lets us have one conversation in peace_

_Cass♡: sure?_

_Cass♡: Jyn it's fine if it's not ok with you. I can ask him to go some other time._

_Don't sweat. It'll be fun to have him around actually_

_Cass♡: Thank you :)_

She was about to reply with an effortless _no problem_ when the door of her bedroom suddenly wooshed open. 

She got off the couch, remembering she was angry at Bodhi. 

He held up his palms. "Now before you say you're going to re-pack anyway, I want you to take careful consideration about what I've chosen. I know where we're going and the best kind of clothes for there as well. And you'll finally be wearing the nice things Lyra sends you."

Jyn stalked past him into her room, raising a choice finger as she did. 

Bodhi laughed, but hung back in the doorway all the same to make sure she didn't shuck out the patterned shirts, floral skirts and shorts that he'd neatly folded into one half of her suitcase. The rest he'd left for stuff he couldn't pack.

If there was any reason she didn't start shucking items out of it after eyeing the suitcase wearily for about half a minute, it was because Bodhi had done a neat job which she wouldn't be able to replicate on her own. 

"This mystery destination had better be worth it," she grumbled. 

###### 

_**Two months previously**_

_There was nothing he'd like better, Galen decided, than to get off this miserable island, go home to his own bed and family, and relax out the rest of his days._

_It had been a fantasy for a long time. It was never going to happen._

_Krennic had just hosted his team of engineers for dinner in his luxury apartment and read out a letter from the pleased investors of this project in particular._

_Galen had wanted to throw up._

_In his own residential quarters, he tried not think about any of it. The abomination of nature they had spent the past six years and twenty six million dollars designing. The...thing that nature had never created, that just wasn't supposed to be here, that he'd helped bring to this world..._

_God, he must be going mad._

_He sat down heavily on his bed and tried not to do the thing he was best at. Thinking._

_The insistent buzz of an iPhone forced him out of his non-thoughts. Feeling disoriented, he stood up, staggering over to his dresser. Cell reception was good today. Good. They were paying a fortune for it._

_He answered the call, expecting it to be a colleague whose number he hadn't bothered saving._

_"Yes?"_

_The person on the other end sounded decidedly nervous. "Um, is this...is this Galen? Erso?"_

_Galen sighed. It had been a long, draining day. "Speaking. Who is this?"_

_"Um, give me a minute, patching you through to Lyra now-"_

_He stilled._ Lyra? 

_"Hold on, who the-"_

_"Hi," came a quiet and familiar voice from the speaker. His autonomic nervous system was caught between dropping the phone and gripping it tighter._

_"Hey," he managed to say instead._

_A raspy laugh. "How's work?"_

_He hated work. He didn't want to talk about work._

_"I wish I could come home," he said, honestly, quietly. "I wish I could, but..."_

_It pained him to picture Lyra rolling her eyes. "Work?"_

_He smiled self-deprecatingly. "Yeah. Work."_

_To his relief and confusion, Lyra was dismissing the topic when she spoke. "It's...fine, not now. I called to ask you a favour, actually."_

_Galen walked backwards to his bed, sat down again. "What is it, love?"_

_"Jyn hasn't seen you in six months."_

_He drew in a shuddering breath. "I know, Lyra, I know, but I can't- not at this point."_

_"I'm not asking you to leave your work."_

_Galen frowned, because the gears in his head had started to work and were already screaming where Lyra was going with this._

_"What are you asking?"_

_Lyra had steel in her voice when she spoke and he'd never been able to argue with that steel. "Our daughter needs to see you whether or not Krennic says she can. You know what I'm asking, Galen. Either she comes to you or you come home."_

_Cold dread gripped his insides at the thought of...no, he was being irrational. People enjoyed the Park. People loved it. He may be questioning some of his deeds, but others didn't, others looked at this from a different angle-_

_Jyn had never been to the Park and she'd always hated it._

_Because it had taken her father away from her. Because it was...like she'd said when she was fourteen, cruel and disgusting._

_People loved it. Kids loved it. Galen didn't, and neither did his daughter._

_At least we're similar in that sense, he thought dryly._

_"I can't come home, Lyra. Not yet."_

_His wife cut straight to the chase. This was the way she spoke in her profession as a lawyer._

_"Jyn's birthday is coming up in two months and her friends want to take her somewhere special. That was Bodhi on the phone before. This was his idea, and he should know, Galen. He wouldn't have thought of this if she didn't miss you."_

_"Bodhi?" He repeated._

_"Her best friend."_

_Right. He was being ridiculous. Still, though..._

_"Does...uh, does Jyn have a boyfriend?"_

_There was a moment of silence on Lyra's end before she started laughing._

_"You two have some catching up to do," she said softly, a trace of sadness in her voice. He tried not to dwell on it._

_"I know," he murmured, sitting back on the bed heavily. "I know."_

###### 

__Despite all of Bodhi's efforts, Jyn wore her Avengers t-shirt for the drive to the airport, where they met Leia, Luke, Cassian and Kay- all of who had been explicitly told by Bodhi to not let Jyn get a glimpse of their tickets, because she tried soon after greeting them._ _

__Luke and Bodhi did their weird handshake thing and hugged, then against her will Leia pulled her into a hug. However she and Cassian embraced warmly and she'd just drawn back when Kay cleared his throat pointedly._ _

__"That's the last call for our flight," he informed them._ _

__Outwardly Jyn glowered at him, but internally she struggled with the question _how_ the flight's serial number had been called without mentioning its destination. _ _

__"Domestic flight," Bodhi said cheerfully as if he read her confusion, steering her forward by the shoulders._ _

__"I'm pretty sure they're still supposed to say where it's going," she said with a doubtful expression._ _

__"They are," said Kay blandly, walking beside Cassian, who fell into stride with her and Bodhi while Leia brought up the rear as if herding the rest of them. They were, as Kay pointed out somewhere between Terminal 2 and 3, _very late_ , and the small departure lounge had nearly emptied by the time they cleared security. _ _

__It was a ridiculous assertion that the plane would just up and leave before they could make it, but Bodhi took over from Leia and spurred them onwards with admirable speed and efficiency. Soon enough they found themselves in their respective seats, Jyn calling dibs on the window while Bodhi resigned himself to the adjoining aisle-seat, Kay taking the aisle-seat in front of Bodhi and leaving Cassian to squirm and skip over him to the window one, and because Luke hadn't been able to book himself the seat next to hers, Leia sat across the aisle from Kay elbow-to-elbow with a droopy-eyed man who unsuccessfully hid a box of cigarettes in the fold of his jacket while Luke's situation was even worse because he was out of their sights completely._ _

Bodhi nudged Jyn in the side with a growing grin on his face. "Excited?"

His flatmate rolled her eyes and looked out the window, but there was no missing the small smile tugging on the corner of her lips. 

He hoped this was what she wanted. He hoped this birthday present wouldn't turn out to be a grossly miscalculated guess on his part.

###### 

Chirrut and Baze were looking decidedly _tropical_ when they greeted them at the airport. 

"I see everyone is in high spirits," noted Chirrut cheerily, hands folded on the outstretched handle of his Hawaiian suitcase. He was also wearing a Hawaiian shirt, a pair of shorts, flip-flops and a straw hat. He looked much younger than his actual age of fifty-five while Baze, his longtime colleague and friend, looked disgruntled about the similar, though darker-hued getup he was in. They were both experienced doctors in a government hospital not far from Jyn, Leia and Bodhi's place of work, and had flown in here a couple of days ago on the pretext of having their own pre-vacation holiday (and making Bodhi jealous of their extra time off). 

Baze looked around with a frown while Chirrut introduced himself to Cassian and Kay. He cleared his throat roughly. 

"Where is Jyn?"

Everyone looked up with startled expressions. 

" _Shit,_ " breathed Bodhi at once, entire frame going rigid with fear. _No, no, no._ How could he be this _stupid? ___

__There was one main reason this airport got crowded in the first place. It was in close proximity to the harbour that ran cruise lines to Isla Sonar, and naturally-_ _

__Naturally the place had huge banners advertising Jurassic World all over the place._ _

__And Jyn had figured out exactly where they were going._ _

__And she hadn't taken it well._ _

__Cassian grabbed his shoulder tight. "We have to find her."_ _

__Luke looked bewildered. "Well, count me in."_ _

__Leaving a still-somehow-smiling Chirrut, a suffering-looking Baze and a slightly unconcerned Kay, Bodhi, Luke, Leia and Cassian were deciding to split up and go looking for Jyn just as a door on the wall behind Chirrut pulled open and she stepped out of it._ _

__She received their shocked stares with a raised eyebrow. "What? Something on my face? I just went to the bathroom."_ _

__Chirrut chuckled._ _

__"Oh my God, you-" started Bodhi in disbelief._ _

__"I should've known," muttered Cassian, giving the cheery doctor a weary look._ _

__"Hey," snapped Jyn, calling their attention again. She had her hands on her hips and treated them all to narrowed eyes and a pensive expression. "We're going to the Park. Aren't we?"_ _

__Bodhi silently resigned himself to his fate, and hoped Jyn would forgive him after she killed him. "Yeah. Yeah, we are. Um...I'm sorry, I...I shouldn't have- look, I'm sorry if I crossed a line and, uh..."_ _

__"It's fine," said Jyn, surprising him._ _

__"Jyn-" started Cassian, but she cut him off._ _

__"It's really fine, guys," she waved a hand dismissively. "I'm not mad. I mean, yeah, I am, but not at you."_ _

__Bodhi took a deep breath to say something nice, anything, but Jyn brushed past him and caught her suitcase which she'd left standing on the floor. "Let's go," she started to step back with it. "Come on. I don't want to be waiting in line."_ _

###### 

It took some effort, but Jyn managed to needle it out of Luke - because Bodhi was spilling nothing- that the cruise for them had, indeed, been sponsored by her father, and that was why they were in first-class cabins on the upper deck rather than...actually, Chirrut and Baze, and maybe Kay, who was rich enough to pay two-thirds of the rent for the flat he shared with Cassian, were the only ones who could afford this trip _at all._

Three days into the journey, Bodhi and Luke were playing volleyball with a bunch of adoring girls, Baze had confined himself to his room and was _relaxing_ , Leia was teaching Chirrut how to play HALO 4 in the game lounge and Jyn was...well, she was staring out at the open sea from the top deck wondering what the hell she would say to the father she hadn't seen or heard from in the past six months. 

"Hey," said Cassian, leaning on the rail next to her. 

Jyn gestured at the deck below, where the game of volleyball had got noisy and energetic. "Why don't you join in?"

He seemed to consider this for a moment, looking contemplatively down at the event. "I don't know how to play, and if I tried, it would look pretty embarrassing next to how well Luke is doing."

Jyn snorted. "They're such show-offs."

Cassian's lips quirked upwards in the maximum magnitude of the smile she normally got from him. "Kay could give them a tough time, though."

Jyn gawked at him, completely incredulous. " _Kay?_ "

"He used to be on the school team, and he's good. Gets competitive too."

Jyn laughed. "I need to see this sometime."

Cassian leaned in closer, dropping his voice so no one else would hear them. "I've accessed his hard drive before. He has all his old videos stored in there, so maybe next time you come over and he's not at home..."

"There you are," said Kay from behind them with loud disdain. "What are you doing?"

His unexpected input made them both jump apart, but Cassian recovered soon enough to respond scathingly, "I'm talking to Jyn, what does it look like?"

"Pretty sure Jyn's not hard of hearing for you to have to get so close," scoffed Kay. "And Jyn, I'm going to have to borrow Cassian for a while."

Jyn guffawed. "Oh, you're _informing_ now?"

"It's the polite thing to do."

"The polite thing to do is _ask_ , you dip-"

"Guys, come on," said Cassian tiredly.

"Well, there's something I need to show you anyway," said Kay, completely unfazed, grabbing his wrist. He gave Jyn an apologetic/exasperated look as he was dragged away, and Jyn had just turned back to the sea again, when a horn blared from the lowest of the ship's decks. 

A large, dark green landmass came into view over the horizon, and both lower decks were suddenly crammed with people trying to take a look at the approaching island. Kay and Cassian appeared at her either sides at about the same time a handful of others filled the front of their first-class deck.

Everyone was here to see genetically engineered, recreated extinct creatures of a bygone era, and that gripped the crowd with excitement, filling the air with waves of applause and thrilled hoots. 

Jyn wasn't sure she was ready to forgive her father for choosing a damned island over her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jyn sets foot on her father's island, Cassian has a traumatic experience on a pirate site, Leia is impatient to dump their bags and Chirrut buys a pair of shorts. 
> 
> Galen hasn't met his daughter yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recently watched _Casino Royale_ and now I'm picturing Galen as the Bond villain he played and I have this alluring mental image of him casually interrogating Cassian across a poker table about his relationship with his daughter. ~~Can someone write me this AU please~~
> 
> Thank you for the love and support!

Bodhi and Luke were both, as it turned out, very bad at keeping their excitement in check. The two were the first of their group to snatch their bags and run to get in line for departing the ship, and by the time Jyn and the rest of her friends set foot on the wide, crowded pier, they were nowhere to be seen and probably well and truly lost for the next couple of hours.

Even from here, at the island's fringe, man-made architectural marvels could be seen blending in with a landscape that would otherwise be nothing but different angles of green. The glint of a spherical observatory here, a transparent dome that rose imposingly between from a valley in that direction. Cable cars and zip-line wires that started to stretch from where they could be seen, then disappeared into what the natural environment claimed as territory. The serenity of the moment was shattered the instant she became aware of the crowd around her, drowning out any noise that may have come from the mountains or forest, beyond the fringe where they stood. 

"You okay?" Cassian asked quietly then, making her nearly jump out of her skin.

"Fine," she quipped, although at the thought of seeing- or, she didn't know if it was better or worse, _not seeing_ \- her father again, her gut was twisting up and her heart was doing overtime in her chest. "Just hungry. Can we go get something to eat?"

Cassian mercifully let it slide. "There's a joint doing junk food that way, and one that's closer to us in this direction doing European."

Jyn raised an eyebrow. "Did you memorize the brochure?"

"I like to know about the places I'm staying in," said Cassian defensively, not exactly denying that he had, in fact, comitted the brochure to memory.

Kay materialised at his shoulder, a camera probably meant for documentation purposes hung around his neck. "You mean you wanted to get your mind off it after you accidentally watched some hentai crap in spite of my warning that that pirate site was unsafe."

Cassian turned to snap at him, face turning a darker shade than his normal tone. " _Kay!_ "

To make things even worse, Jyn found herself holding back a snort, and behind her, Leia and Baze were outright laughing. 

"It's not funny," snapped Cassian. 

"I beg to differ," Baze actually _sniffled_. "What part of that was _not_ funny?"

"I have to agree with him on that one," said Chirrut apologetically in a happy sing-song voice. 

Cassian dropped it, looking exasperated but unsurprised. He shook his head as if to end that line of conversation. "Are we eating junk or sit-down, or are we going further in to get to the other restaurants?"

"What _are_ the other restaurants?" asked Chirrut inquisitively, in very much the same manner an eager student would ask a proficient teacher. 

"A couple of themed ones, one main- but that's going to be crowded- and French, Arabic, Indian, Chinese-"

"Hentai," prompted Kay with an impressively straight face. 

Cassian glared at him, red. "Shut _up._ "

Jyn patted him on the shoulder, trying hard to bite down the fact that she was almost grinning at Kay's antics. If anything was going to make her forget her fears...hell, it wasn't going to be Cassian's asshole best friend. "Don't mind him. Anyway, can we go to one of the closer places? Do you really feel like getting through that crowd?"

Chirrut tapped the side of his head. "You forget, little sister, that there are many others who would have already thought the same, and the nearby restaurants are probably going to be the most crowded." 

Leia drew in an impatient breath, crossing her arms. "I'm not in the mood for putting up with that either. Why don't we skip this meal? I mean, everyone had the chance to eat well enough on the ship."

"Jyn skipped breakfast," Baze pointed out. 

"Jyn's problem," said Leia, treating her friend to a _look._

Jyn wasn't going to have it handed to her that easily. "Only because none of you shits bothered to wake me up!"

"I did," said Cassian in an eternally-suffering tone of voice. 

Jyn narrowed her eyes at him quizzically. "No you didn't."

"You woke, muttered that you'd join us in a minute, and never turned up."

" _Absolutely_ untrue."

"I can vouch for it," started Kay petulantly. "I went with him when he tried to wake you up."

Jyn cleared her throat, crossing her arms at her chest. Her mind was drifting away from her father, now, and she was starting to focus on the here and now. She was beginning to enjoy this easy back-and-forth, ready to spring into an argument at any given moment, with people she considered her friends.

Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all. 

"Are we eating or not?"

"Not," said Leia, like that should be obvious. She slung her hand-luggage pack over her shoulder, a pink, unsightly thing with the words _REBEL PRINCESS_ printed across the front that Jyn suspected she only owned because Luke had gifted it to her. She yanked her rose-gold suitcase closer to her side as if to prove a point. "Let's get to our rooms and dump these ."

Chirrut and Baze looked from Leia to Jyn, who was obviously hungry and trying not to look grumpy about it.

"You go ahead," said Cassian pleasantly, surprising her. "I'll keep Jyn company."

Kay's expression was both disdainful and immensely judgemental, but Cassian glared at him sharply before he could say anything. 

"Fine," grunted his roommate, who then turned and jutted his chin out towards the others others. "Let's go sort our accommodations."

"Welcome aboard," said Leia with relief, already trudging away from the group with her luggage. Baze grunted and followed her after a nod in Jyn's direction, and Chirrut happily waved at them before setting off.

"If I'm asleep and our door is locked," Kay informed his best friend mechanically, "Don't knock."

Jyn valiantly fought to suppress a smile as the tall American she loved to hate lugged his suitcase and hurried to catch up with the others. He was making her smile _too often_ on this trip, and that just couldn't do. 

She waited until the rest of them were out of earshot. "You're hungry too, aren't you?" 

Cassian dropped his shoulders and smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I'm famished."

###### 

They ended up having continental European food at the nearest sit-down restaurant for fancy dining. 

In any case, it wasn't a place for her blue skinny, beige three-quarters and extremely worn running shoes and his long-sleeved _Doctor Who_ t-shirt that was folded up to the elbows, but Chirrut had been right about the convenient joints being crowded and the fancy sit-down was the only place within miles with an ounce of available space.

"Sure they're not going to...kick us out?" Cassian asked from across the table, having already taken note of the stares that had landed on them. 

"Sure," said Jyn easily, stretching her legs under the table. She came to rest her feet, crossed, on the wall-side corner of the bench he occupied. He had to tamp down an appreciative little grin that was making its way to his features. 

"Let's say that's not an issue," he argued good-naturedly. "Do we have enough cash to pay for this?"

Jyn rolled her eyes. "Relax, it's on me."

His good humour was gone in an instant, replaced by something determinedly serious. "No."

She had the good grace to look only mildly exasperated. "It's not a big deal. Besides, I'm the one who dragged you he-"

"I needed to eat too," he cut in. "So you're not paying for me."

"Don't be a stubborn ass-"

"Jyn, you're _not_ paying for-"

Jyn waved a hand wildly from her wrist, a scowl on her face. "Like you'd refuse if it was _Kay_ offering!"

Cassian wrinkled his nose in a wince. "Firstly, Kay rarely _offers_ to pay for my food, and the last time we decided to go out for a meal we almost had a fistfight about it being Domino's or his stupid salad bar."

Jyn instinctively laughed. "Kay is a health freak?"

Now he was grinning stupidly, too. "He _jogs to work,_ Jyn."

She made a strangled sound that might might've been another huff of laughter. "Seriously?"

Cassian picked up one of the drinks that had been placed for them upon arrival, even though they'd looked horribly out of place. "Yeah. It's impractical considering how far we are from his office. He has to wake up at five in the morning."

Jyn snorted, going for her own drink. "And here I thought Kay was a smart guy."

Cassian laughed. "You have no idea how dumb he can be, Jyn. Once there was this girl who was obviously interested, and he thought she was actually keen on learning the fundamentals of particle physics so he treated her to a twenty-minute lecture-"

" _Holy shit,_ " breathed Jyn, not quite done silently laughing. It was making her face hurt, and she had to bury her face in the mahogany table to smother it down. Continuing her drink was not an option.

When she looked up again, Cassian was grinning the most she'd ever seen him, and it was such a startling realization that her breath caught, making a muffled choking sound behind her lips.

His features softened until they were just relaxed in an easy smile. "Why is it that every time I make you laugh, it's Kay that we're talking about?"

"It's not," said Jyn defensively, narrowing her eyes on reflex. "I just...I don't exactly get along with him, and then you give me all this valuable information..." She paused for a sip from her welcome cocktail. Unconsciously licked her bottom lip. "You know, you say other hilarious things that aren't Kay-related as well."

Cassian raised an eyebrow. "That actually get a laugh out of you?"

" _Yes,_ " said Jyn, like it should be obvious. "Those things about your college? That over-the-top make-out session between two of your teachers that you walked in on?"

Cassian looked about ready to gag. "Please don't remind me."

She chuckled, then leaned in with her elbows propped on the table in a manner her parents had taught was not acceptable in a high-end dining place. "You make some good nerd-jokes, your Batman impression is so bad it's funny-"

"You were never supposed to hear that."

"-that doll movie scared the shit out of you and it was hilarious, you wrote in your essay that the Earth was _circular_ -"

Cassian held his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay, no need to bring up a list." Was she imagining it, or was he looking just a bit flushed? "Are we going to order? That waiter over there has been giving us the side-eye ever since we came in."

Jyn shook her head, still smiling, but not as shamelessly as before.

Between the flight she'd taken where Bodhi had watched _Moana_ and started tearing up, meeting Chirrut and Baze for the first time in weeks, the three-day cruise lounging in the lap of luxury, and the unexpected amount of times she'd laughed thus far, the trip wasn't turning out to be a bad experience after all. 

She hoped that seeing her father would make it better, not worse. 

They ordered enough starters to satisfy their hunger for the rest of the night- _"Then we can bail on, you know, the mains, which are going to take a lot more time," explained Jyn. The corners of Cassian's eyes crinkled like they always did when he half-smiled. "Patient, aren't we?" She rolled her eyes. "We need to get to our rooms before Bodhi raids the minibar in mine, and Kay claims the wardrobe in yours." He blinked, apparently realizing this only now. "Oh no. No."_ \- and settled into conversation until the fries, sautéed chicken wings and batter-fried cuttlefish arrived. Well, Cassian insisted on calling it 'cuttlefish', a term Jyn had never heard before and much to his displeasure, found just a little funny. 

Considering every part of the journey thus far _and_ the good options for food, Jyn found that she didn't mind she was enjoying herself. She wanted to tell Bodhi that bringing her here had been a good call, that maybe she'd enjoy this vacation from Dirk, the workload at office and the fart-heads that were Mandalorian Exchange, but it wasn't long before Cassian said something about dinosaurs and she remembered why she'd always felt sick when she thought of the Park in the first place.

"Jyn?" he asked, the space between his brows creasing. 

She coughed to cover up her reaction, looking back up to offer him an unconvincing smile. "Yeah?"

Now he looked concerned. More so than usual. His eyes has grown softer, and he was looking at her with...she didn't need his pity. Her glare conveyed as much. 

He ducked his head ever-so-slightly and wordlessly went back to portion of cuttlefish that he'd been devouring. 

Jyn instantly felt terrible. They'd been having a good time and she had gone and disrupted it, and that wasn't right. Besides, he was here for her. 

She almost startled at the thought. He was here because of her? Was that possible? Cassian had always cared, but would he leave his studies behind for a week just because he wanted to be there for her? 

Her father had sponsored the cruise and their entrance to the Park. Everything else- their air tickets, the transport they took from the airport, the snacks and games played on that ship- had been individual spending. Cassian, who worked a meagre part-time job while he studied, had spent a fortune of his time and money to be here only because she might've needed support? 

She sighed, half-heartedly picking up a fry. "Look, I'm just not ready to talk about this, okay?"

He looked up, and shaking her head, she reached across the table to cover his hands with her own. "But thank you. It means a lot, Cassian. It really does."

He turned his hands over, letting her palms sink into his. He gave them a reassuring squeeze, a slight smile on his face. 

"If you ever need to talk..."

"I know," she returned his smile. "Thank you."

He made a show of looking to her side with interest. "You gonna eat that?" 

Jyn laughed and punched him in the arm. 

###### 

Bodhi and Luke returned to the settlement where their rooms were shortly before dinner with grass sticking to their clothes and huge grins on their faces, much to the consternation of Leia, who didn't appreciate sitting next to the two of them. They were having the meal in a relatively private dining area for the few who owned deluxe rooms. Chirrut listened with interest the whole time they narrated the day's adventures. Kay was on the verge of inquiring how they'd accessed any of the park's attractions without the passes that had come with checking in when Leia suddenly sprang to her feet and stared at the distance with her jaw open.

The whole table turned to look except for Bodhi, who was babbling on about the petting zoo, although when he realized no one was listening he too turned around and stared. 

From where she'd just stepped into the room, Jyn paused in her tracks. 

There was an awkward moment in which Cassian and Jyn stood staring at the rest of the group and vice versa, but Kay cleared his throat and the moment was gone. 

"Well," he said loudly, going back to his salad. "You two had a long lunch."

###### 

_"It's getting out of hand," Galen said as soon as he stepped through the doorway, shrugging urgently out of his rain-sodden coat. Lyra stood where she was and watched the husband she hadn't seen in three months. His first words upon arrival weren't exactly a greeting._

_She stood still while he muttered to himself, muttered out loud to the world in general, where she caught the words_ nature, wrong _and_ interference _half a dozen times._

_He finally looked directly at her, and his words then were, "Orson is out of his damn mind."_

_She sighed, peeling herself slowly off the wall. She wondered if their daughter could hear this exchange from her room upstairs._

_"Bad day at the office?" She joked half-heartedly. It took a more than ernest stare from her to snap him out of his reverie._

_"Bad week. Month. The worst was the day I left." He sighed, leaning against the wall opposite, and exhaled loudly. His gaze met the floor. "I'm sorry, Lyra."_

_She walked over to take his arm and guide him to the sofa. She snuck a look up the stairs in the direction of Jyn's room- the door was closed and music could be heard faintly, delivering the impression she was either doing her maths homework or at one of her imaginary Bon Jovi concerts Lyra had once had the misfortune of opening the door on- and sat next to Galen, waiting for him to continue._

_"This was an insane idea from the start," he said, gesturing wildly at nothing in particular. "All of this. I always had my doubts. But I had to, Lyra, we needed money back then and I_ had to-" 

_"But now it's different. Something bad, something terrible is going to happen. InGen extended my contract. There was nothing I could do. They've branded me as an asset and they have a massive legal bearing on it- I don't understand, I don't understand how they can own a man's life like that but_ they do-" 

_"What is it?" she asked quietly. "Galen, just tell me what it is. What do they want with you?"_

_She didn't offer to be his lawyer, or get her extensive contacts in the legal field involved in what she recognized had the potential to become a messy court case, because she knew he was desperate but would never openly call out InGen and draw attention towards his struggle with them. She planned on pushing him, though, because_ she _was done sick of InGen and, she was sick of seeing him like this- most of the time not seeing him at all._

_He drew in a shuddering breath, face dripping rain water, and it struck her that she'd forgotten how drenched he was. He grabbed her hand before she could get up and fetch a towel from inside the house._

 _"We were always going to play with nature, with the Park," he said, and his tone was grave enough to make her forget the towel and sit and listen. "But now they've devised a...a terrible thing, worse than anything we've done so far. They're going to create- something that's not supposed to exist, something that_ never _existed, and environmentally, ethically, there are too many things that-" He faltered, swallowed. Something unusual, something that scared her, was creeping into the fringes of his eyes._

_Galen breathed through his nose. It took him several moments to start speaking again._

_"They want to make something new, Lyra. They want to smash together DNA from all our most impressive creatures and make an all-in-one, an anomaly of nature that shouldn't exist." His hand found hers again, and his grip tightened like a wrench when he looked her directly in the eyes. "Orson is eating it up. We started trials two months ago. The embryo didn't make it, it was short of too many things, it didn't have the right conditions- but it was living, Lyra. The thing we_ created _was living, a cobbled-together abomination to show to our investors. Like Frankenstein's monster. But these are lives, Lyra, and I can't think of these creatures as just attractions anymore, after interacting with them for years. It's just...disgusting, what we're doing, making life and subjecting it to glass walls, electric fences, petting zoos, to never let life thrive the way it's supposed to, to alter and manipulate and control the ecosystem of that island and shove in human crowds to disturb it more. I don't like doing it, but this...this is getting out of hand."_

_"Let me help," Lyra took his other hand as well. "I work in the right circles, I have connections. We can get you out of this."_

_Galen laughed dryly, shaking his head like a condemned man who'd long ago accepted his fate. "People have already tried, Lyra. InGen can't be taken down. They would've lost everything a long time ago if it was possible."_

_Lyra opened her mouth to object, but they both turned around abruptly at the sound of footsteps on the stairs._

_"I'm heading over to Shara's, Mama," Jyn said, not looking up from her phone. In a moment, however, she looked up absently. "Professor Kenobi will chew us out if we don't hand in this assignment by Monday."_

_She reached the bottom of the stairs and looked towards Lyra again, a pained expression on her face. "When Papa comes home, tell him it's urgent and I'm sorry, okay?"_

 _Lyra rose to her feet, about to give away the fact that Galen was indeed_ here _and watching her, but when she reached the door Jyn pocketed her phone and turned around to say something else, noticed, and froze._

_She stared at Galen, who smiled back hesitantly. Then she whipped around, opened the door in a hurry and left before Lyra ordered her to stay._

_Outside, the rain started to pour again and the sky rumbled in the distance._

###### 

"Has anyone ever told you what a jerk you can be?" grumbled Cassian, heading over to the other end of the room where Kay had, considerately, left one quarter of the wardrobe for his belongings. He couldn't believe he shared a flat with him, much less that he considered him his best friend.

"Well, I'm sorry, but what's the principle we've agreed on regarding hotel rooms?" asked Kay obnoxiously from where he'd claimed the bed away from the window. "First come, first serve. It's not my problem you were too busy trying to get under _Jyn's_ sheets to remember that."

Cassian nearly choked, gracelessly dropping his Nikes. " _Kay!_ "

His best friend's gaze was remorseless. "Apparently whatever you spent the whole of yesterday doing was exhausting enough that you're only unpacking your things now." He looked at his watch. "We're late for breakfast."

Cassian muttered a curse at him under his breath, but soon before pausing to consider the clothes still in his suitcase and wondering what would be appropriate for breakfast. He hadn't exactly been thrilled to sit at a fancy restaurant in sneakers and a Doctor Who t-shirt, even though Jyn had convinced him they were being rebellious and that was fun. 

"There's a ninety-percent chance you're wondering what she would like."

Cassian closed his eyes and prayed for patience. Still he ended up quipping, "Shut up, Kay."

Chirrut had woken up before everyone else and taken to pacing the ornately decorated wooden corridors, humming serenely to himself, and when Leia, the second to wake up, had strolled into the common room with ambition for the day's schedule, the two had unitedly planned everything ahead of them to perfection. This was the schedule every member of their group was expected to stick to throughout the day. 

"But I want to go for a swim," protested Luke, who'd apparently planned it even before because he turned up for breakfast in a tshirt and trunks. 

"Me too," said Bodhi, who had goggles on his head and was dressed similarly.

Jyn raised an eyebrow at them both. "The pool over there? Isn't it for deluxe residents?"

"We _are_ deluxe residents," Leia poked her with a fork, and bit back a chuckle when she glared. "We wouldn't be having in-house breakfast if we weren't."

"Yeah, but not that one," said Luke, calling everyone's attention. Chirrut looked interested, Kay looked unconcerned and Baze looked slightly judgemental at his enthusiasm. "We found this cool spot-"

"It's really cool," added Bodhi. 

"Like, this natural pool thing. There's a small waterfall running into it and people are allowed to go there, but there are a lot of places like it and this one is less known." Luke beamed. "We're going to have it all for ourselves."

"It's amazing," enthused Bodhi. 

"Amazing," whispered Luke. 

Leia rolled her eyes. "Look, this is all fine and everything, but we can't possibly make the most of a place as big as this if we just wander around doing whatever we happen to come across."

"But that's what Dirk Gently does," whined Bodhi, as if this made it a sensible option. 

Leia frowned. " _Who?_ "

Kay cleared his throat in that way of his that could be heard from the other end of the room. "It is highly impractical for all eight of us to be following the same schedule strictly. Personal preferences aside, being a large group of people will limit our mobility and ultimately our productivity, and we will not be able to complete every one of the tasks planned."

Leia visibly did not appreciate this. "I factored in all of that when I planned, alright?"

"Then your plan should be as limited as seeing three attractions a day," intoned the tall American brazenly. 

Cassian sighed before agreeing reluctantly. "I'm sorry, Leia, but I think he's right."

"Of course I'm right," huffed Kay. "I'm always right."

Jyn joined Leia in glaring at him from across the table. 

"Well then," quipped the latter. "We'll each go with whoever we want and do whatever we feel like doing according to the directions our heads turn."

"Like Dirk," said Bodhi helpfully. 

"And whoever who wants to make the most of our time here will join me and Chirrut."

"Can we join you after our swim?" asked Luke with big eyes. 

Try as she might, she couldn't turn down those eyes. "We'll adjust the plan around that, then. Anyone joining Luke and Bodhi?" 

Bodhi gave Jyn his own puppy-eyed look. 

She sighed. She hadn't had any particular ideas anyway, apart from trying out as many restaurants as possible. "Alright, I'm with you."

"Cassian," Kay turned to his friend abruptly. "Would you like to join me in visiting the museum and science center? You will be able to truly appreciate everything on this island. It's where this vacation needs to start."

Cassian did not have to be studying aeronautical engineering to understand what Kay was trying to do, but he decided Kay was being Kay and he wouldn't hear the end of it if he said no. "Sounds great."

Leia looked at them almost challengingly, and he realized that one more person supporting Kay's plans had incurred the software architect's wrath.

"I guess we'll see," she said with a touch of defiance, "who gets the most done today."

"I guess we will," agreed Chirrut cheerfully. 

Baze grunted into his coffee. "Now _that_ is why this group needs an adult."

###### 

Galen didn't remove himself from the monitor until his least favourite colleague, Bevel Lemelisk, slapped him on the back. 

"You're forgetting something," he chastised.

"I'm always forgetting something," muttered Galen, narrowing his eyes at the man. "What is it?"

Bevel dropped his voice several octaves and leaned closer in that conspiratorial, warning way that never failed to raise hairs on Galen's skin. The man was wholly capable of crawling under a great many people's skins, although with his superiors he carried himself both respectfully and authoritatively, like all credit for all work before them was his alone. "Today is the big day." 

Galen had the good grace to keep his exasperated sigh to himself. "What big day?"

Bevel raised a judgemental, superior eyebrow like he couldn't believe what he was listening to. 

Galen decided to forgo his good graces and scowl at the man, before turning back to his laptop and continuing his work. 

Still, while he dragged and dropped parts of the schematics for the extension of the reservoir, his mind started a different calculation. 

What big day? Was a newer, better cell reception company visiting? Was it the opening of the new wing in the history center? No, that wasn't his division, unless he was for some reason required for toasts...

And then it dawned on him, a cold wave of dread and guilt and anxiety all at once.

Behind him, Bevel rolled his eyes placatingly. "Oh, the great Galen remembers. This is why I find it hard to believe Krennic assigned you Head of anything."

After two months of careful planning and calling in every favour he was owed by anyone on this island, he'd _completely_ forgotten about Jyn's visit- the first time he'd be having any contact with his daughter in half a year. He remembered now that she should've arrived the previous day. Which meant he hadn't been there to greet her at the reception desk, hadn't shown up the next morning to ensure she had every comfort he could provide, and she wouldn't know how much he wanted to see her again and make things right between them. 

He'd ruined it. Ruined everything. What kind of terrible father was he? 

"That's right, Erso. Investors flying in at four-thirty. Orson wants you at your neatest, most presentable best. And you don't want the Indominous seeing you as an easy target, do you?"

"To hell with the Indominous," muttered Galen, shutting his laptop and abruptly getting to his feet. He spared one hard glare at Lemelisk, like all of this was somehow his fault, before snatching up his laptop and briefcase with both hands and making for the door. 

As he headed down the greyish corridors of the Research Wing, his defensive anger faded into something more like guilt and apprehension again, and he continued to run calculations in his head. 

It was seven o' clock. The investors were flying in at four-thirty. That gave him at the very least a six and a half window of operation for locating his daughter and making things right with her. 

He froze in place, coming to a stop. Six and a half hours to make things right between them? He may have been emotionally stinted, as Lyra had once quipped, but he was not an idiot. 

_"That's not how children work. That's not how parents are supposed to work either, Galen. You need to be in her life and by that I mean for more than two days at a time!"_

Jyn would be here for one week. He'd seek out these six and a half hours, but he wouldn't drop it at that, the investors be damned. Bevel could have his post if he wanted.

Galen caught himself in the middle of these thoughts. 

_Bloody hell._ Since when had his life's work taken a backseat priority in his mind? 

Jyn was here. And he realized he was desperate to be there for her, to get to know her, and to be the father Lyra had said that she wanted, because this could very well be his final chance.

As soon as he'd crossed the garden to his building and closed the door of his private residence behind him, he dropped his laptop and briefcase, and shrugged out of the stark white lab coat he wore unnecessarily as a trademark.

If he knew his daughter even a little, he knew she would wake up late and spend a good portion of the morning indoors. He rummaged through his drawers for the printed details of Jyn's visit, committed her quarters and room number to memory, and nearly headed for the door then and there.

But the sight of his reflection made him pause and reconsider what he was wearing. Too official, too drab. As a child Jyn had never liked his black shirts and formal shoes. 

Willing his window of time not to close, he hurried for the wardrobe in his bedroom. 

It was past seven thirty by the time he reached the Deluxe recidencies, and by that time Galen had considered the possibility that he was very mistaken about Jyn's morning routine because all he knew of it was when she had been fourteen years old. 

The lady at the reception desk was surprised to see him rush over.

"Is there an emergency, sir?"

Galen caught the edge of the desk and tried to regain his breath before answering. "I'm sorry, I just want to know...is there a group here? About seven or eight people?"

The receptionist raised a perfectly trimmed eyebrow. "My apologies, but private information of the guests cannot be disclosed. Who are you, anyway?"

Galen wasn't sure he wanted to grit his teeth or curse under his breath. "I have clearance," he resisted the urge to fetch into the pockets of his lab coat, which he wasn't wearing, for the access card, which he didn't have. "Galen Erso, Senior Vice President of Research and Head of Engineering. Access code 46-99-34-01. Look it up."

The receptionist appeared spectacularly unimpressed, but she was convinced enough to shake her head and reply. "There is a group. Are you referring to the two Asian doctors, the cute twins, the insufferable tall American and his good-looking...what, Mexican friend?"

This description left Galen slightly confused. "I'm...was there a girl with them? Brown hair, very pretty?"

It was the receptionist's turn to look confused and mildly disturbed. "I think so. The one dating the hot Mexican?"

Galen had no idea how to react to _that_ bit of information. "Um, she has blue eyes. It's very noticeable."

Realization dawned. "Oh. Oh, yes, that's her. I think she left with the guy-twin and the cute brown guy but they didn't say where they were going."

Galen was beginning to wonder what Lyra hadn't told him about Jyn's group of friends. "Do you have any idea where it could've been, though?"

The girl pretended to think about it. "It seemed like they were going for a swim, but they only told me they would have lunch from out. It's got to be with the rest of the group, right? So probably close to the museum, which is where the tall one and the hot one said they were going."

Galen wished she would use the words _tall, hot_ and _cute_ less often when describing the men in Jyn's life. "Alright. Alright, thank you. Could you, uh," he fished out a business card, one of which he had attached to his person most of the time. "Give this to the girl? Tell her that she can call anytime she'd like, and...and that I'm sorry I couldn't catch her earlier. Could you do that for me?"

Whatever else that could be said about the cheeky receptionist aside, she'd had the skill to call up a file on her computer without his noticing, and had gone through it while he spoke. 

"Jyn...Erso?" She asked at last, looking up to properly consider him. 

"Yes," he placed the card on the table. "Yes, my daughter."

"Oh. _Oh._ " She nodded, taking it. "That makes a lot of sense. Well, I'll give it to her and say you were here. Anything else?"

Galen shook his head, his body already inclined as if to leave in a hurry. But to his own surprise, he turned right back, and asked in the most casual tone possible, "Could you possibly also tell me her boyfriend's name?"

###### 

Cassian found himself having no regrets about starting the day with the museum, and he was so fascinated and amazed and even slightly giddy about everything around him that for once he told Kay that this had been a _brilliant_ idea. 

Kay, although equally pleased with the choice of venue, was starting to have doubts about bringing his friend along. 

"Woah! How did they get a Mesosaur skeleton up _there?_ "

Kay craned his head a little to look at the giant bones that hung suspended from the far-off ceiling. "Well, when museums are being constructed they leave room for such structures, obviously. There might have been cranes and rafters involved."

Cassian sighed, but really it was a cover-up for a giggle. Kay thought that one of them was losing it, and if this wasn't all his imagination, then it was definitely Cassian. "That's not what I meant. I mean, it was a marine animal, and probably not to be found in shallow waters either judging by its size. So its bones would have been under the sea bed, and they _couldn't_ have remained preserved like they can on land."

Kay looked his way with a pained expression. "You're kidding me. Right?"

Cassian crossed his arms. "Isn't it a legitimate question?"

"These people...are _genetic engineers,_ Cassian. None of these bones necessarily have to be _excavated._ "

Cassian's features slipped into realization. "You're saying these are all...lab-grown?"

Kay sighed. "Obviously. Well, the more impressive and complete ones, anyway."

Cassian blinked. "Oh. Right. So this isn't...but still, you have to admit it's pretty cool. They've done a great job of it. I mean, did you feel the _texture_ of those-"

He was losing him again. "Yes, it is cool. Maybe we should drop in at the souvenir shop before the crowds come in, and then go for the opening of the new Wing."

Wrong choice of words.

"There's a new _wing?_ "

They might be spending the entire day here after all. 

One of the museum staff made a cheery announcement, and Cassian dragged him in that general direction excitedly. 

He'd known his friend for almost six years. They'd both attended the same college, had similar ambitions and had winded up going to the same university, and they'd continued to share an apartment even after he'd dropped out early in favour of employment. Kay could therefore say he knew more about Cassian than anyone else, but never had he noticed his friend's thing for _dinosaurs._

And he'd never seen him this openly ecstatic. In those six years. Ever. With the exception of that absurd amusement park they'd visited in California and that time he'd got drunk and gone on to sing some pitchless song about his love for big butts -Cassian would later insist that he had no control over what he said or did when inebriated, and _it's a known song anyway, Kay, what world do you live in?'_ \- Cassian rarely looked very happy. 

And when he'd walked into the dining room yesterday, of course, right behind Jyn. He was wearing a neutral mask, but Kay had enough experience to tell when there was something more to his blank expression. 

He knew his best friend hadn't had the best encounters with misfortune, bad luck or missed chances in the past. Cassian still missed his home, his family and the parents he'd lost when he was much younger. Although he didn't have to pay most of their apartment rental, he had a massive student loan to deal with and two more years before being qualified enough to get the job he wanted. But there were other things, buried in his past maybe or connected somehow to his present, that Kay had never asked about. It wasn't often that Cassian resorted to alcohol when things took a difficult turn; instead he shut himself in and, Kay could guess, cried quietly until that reality ebbed and flowed away. 

He never asked. But he supposed it had to do with a period of his friend's life that he hadn't been around for. 

When Bodhi had called and asked him join on Jyn's birthday trip, he had decided to go against all time constraints and practical reasoning, because he'd wanted to be there for her. 

And Heaven knew Cassian himself needed a shoulder to lean on. So Kay had applied for leave and said he'd like to come along as well. 

"I'll be there for her too," he'd gingerly told Cassian, telling himself not to be pleased with the grin breaking out on his friend's face. "If you insist."

###### 

Leia found out in the meantime that Chirrut and Baze were more fun than she'd ever imagined. Within the span of two hours they had had wild ice cream combinations, shot moving targets at the rifling range and snuck into a restricted area that had turned out to be an abandoned extension of the Park, dino footprints still embedded in the sand. 

Chirrut was currently smiling serenely at the store attendant who'd been asked to guess his age. "Uh...well, er, I don't know how it works," the boy stuttered. "Age, I mean, it looks different on different people, so it's...it's kind of hard to tell."

At her shoulder, Baze grunted. 

Chirrut tilted his head. "Yes, but do I appear older or younger than my age?"

"I don't know," the poor guy was sweating now. "It's...hard to tell."

"In a good way or a bad way?"

Baze sighed in that eternally-suffering way Leia had grown to be fond of. "Îmwe, do you care about why we're here in the first place?"

"Of _course_ ," Chirrut flashed the attendant an apologetic look. "What did I originally ask for?"

"Yes," said the boy, relieved. "Shirts. Right that way, sir."

Chirrut scrunched his brows thoughtfully. "Sure I asked for shirts?"

Leia bit back a grin. 

"Uh...yes? I mean, if there's anything else I'm happy to help-"

"No problem," Chirrut breezed past him into the store. "Shirts are great."

They were biding their time until Luke, Bodhi and Jyn joined them, but Leia was nevertheless confident she would accomplish more today than Kay. Chirrut was inspecting the colourful shirts on display with a peculiar kind of focus. 

"I take that back," he declared. "Shirts aren't that interesting. Isn't there anything else we can do while we wait, Leia?"

"Well..." started Leia, but Chirrut's eyes lit up with a new idea. 

"We could go to the beach!"

"Too far," grunted Baze.

"You are no fun," said Chirrut. 

Leia was about to suggest that they continued window-shopping but in more exciting places, when the corner of her eye caught something bright and pink. 

Chirrut started grinning about the same time she did.

"What do you think of shorts?" she asked casually.

"I think," Chirrut picked an orange one with green dinosaurs on it. "Everyone should own a pair of these."

###### 

Jyn had never envisioned a situation where she would be standing half-naked on the edge of a cliff with Bodhi and Luke encouraging her to cannonball into a deep body of water, but here she was.

Well. She wasn't actually half-naked because her swimsuit was a fairly decent one-piece and this wasn't totally suicidal because the other two had done the same and lived, but she was rather regretting her choice to start her day with this potentially fatal activity.

"We'll catch you!" called Luke, and she didn't believe it one bit because physics. 

"Alright, I'm going to do this." Jyn steeled herself. "I am going to do this."

_And pray I don't hit a rock on the way down. Why is this even allowed? Has no one died yet?_

"Come on, Jyn!" prompted Bodhi cheerily, and she closed her eyes and launched herself off the edge.

She was pretty sure it wasn't a proper cannonball, but the water splashed everywhere when she hit the surface and she felt herself sink a couple of feet in before the resolve to kick and swim upwards was activated. She surfaced with a great gulp of breath and panicked eyes.

Bodhi caught her immediately and she breathed out through her mouth, exhilarated. He and Luke appeared dazzled.

"That was _amazing!_ "

"That was the best canonball I've ever _seen._ "

Jyn coughed before she grinned. "That worked?"

"That worked _really well,_ " said Bodhi seriously. 

She pretended to mull it over while they waited for her judgement with anticipation. Biting down her smile, she made them wait ages longer than was necessary for effect. 

"Let's go another round?"

Luke laughed, relief shining in his eyes. "I thought you'd never ask."

###### 

Wilhuff Tarkin knew exactly what he'd become a prominent part of when he'd invested one point five billion dollars in the Park, and the exact risks posed by his covert scheme of covering for InGen legally. 

Tarkin was not a man who made unintelligent investments. He knew the risks and he knew ways out of them. 

But Krennic's ridiculous build-a-dinosaur project was one he wasn't particularly happy a portion of his money went towards, although he supposed his doubts would soon be confirmed or put at ease. The former was likely, considering past experiences with Krennic, but Tarkin dared to believe the latter was likelier. 

Across from him sat his friend and confidant, Conan Motti, looking just as disgruntled as his email the previous morning had stated he was about this affair.

Tarkin knew better than to have blind faith in a dubious project, but millions of investor's dollars can't have completely gone to waste in Orson's hands. Motti, however, would probably not be impressed by anything short of a planet-killer. 

Tarkin glanced calmly towards the approaching horizon. Under a line of cloud and coming up from a glistening sea, Isla Sonar made dangerous promises nevertheless. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you spot these cameos? :)
> 
>  
> 
> • Bevel Lemelisk was the Death Star's lead architect in the original canon. Unlike Galen, he wasn't a humanised Imperial role and he looked every bit a villain. 
> 
> • Conan Motti is the Imperial officer who appears in Episode IV and delivers the famous line: "Your sad devotion to that ancient religion has not helped you conjure up the stolen data tapes, or given you clairvoyance enough to find the rebels' hidden base." 
> 
> Reviews and kudos are greatly appreciated! :D


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Park's investors touch down. Cassian and Galen have an incredibly awkward conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just watched Fallen Kingdom and let me tell ya, the Indoraptor is a terrifying thing. Would probably be the equivalent of Starkiller Base if the Indominous was the Death Star. The new movie was fun, but disappointingly illogical and unrealistic. Anyway, it won't have any impact on this fic- I'm going to rely heavily on nostalgia for many scenes and use an original plot- so you don't have to be concerned about spoilers. 
> 
> It's getting to the thrilling bit, I promise. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Jyn got out of the water before Luke or Bodhi- who were for some reason convinced that the natural pool had to have fish, and were now taking turns diving in and looking around to no avail- balancing herself on all fours to keep from slipping down the sun-kissed rocks. Dripping but feeling elated, she made the climb to where they'd left their bags and sat down, watching her roommate and his best friend look so laughably ridiculous and adorable that for the first time on their trip, she really didn't contain her grin. 

The morning had progressed and daylight was harsher now, but didn't sting enough to be unpleasant. The moderate breeze chilled her wet skin a little, and she couldn't wait long without wrapping a towel around herself. Nevertheless Jyn watched the scene unfolding in the pool and her chattering teeth kept smiling.

Should she tell them it was just wiry water plants they were looking at, and that a sign by the nearby security hut confirmed the absence of fish? No. Let them have their fun. She'd record their reactions when she broke the news. 

Jyn dragged her palms down the heated rock and wiped them uselessly on her damp towel before fishing for her camcorder and phone. She switched the former on- waiting an eternity for the screen to light up- and carefully perched it on a stone, pointed at her friends. Bodhi had hounded her about her _'so sickeningly 2001, Jyn, do you ever chuck out your old stuff?'_ camcorder for as long as they'd shared the same flat. She would finally have her back for that insult.

Luke surfaced, complaining that he couldn't see properly, and plucked the goggles off her flatmate's head despite his vocal protest. There were agressive splashes and a chase. She bit her lip so as not to give herself away.

Jyn was just about to pick up the camcorder and head down the rocks to get a clearer view of their faces and prove their efforts futile when at her side, her phone buzzed. 

Dread was the first thing that hit her, a cold, long sweep. It felt like a wrench around her heart and gut at the same time. If she looked down, she'd see it was the reception desk- this being the first time in her life she'd ever taken the number of a reception desk, _on the off chance, given the slightest possibility_ \- and she wouldn't know what to say or do. She could hear them already. _Galen Erso came looking. He regrets to inform you that he will not be able to remove himself from work this week._

The buzzing stopped. She closed her eyes, breathed in careful, measured breaths. Summoned up the courage to look down. 

_1 Missed Call from Cass♡_

She almost said thank you out loud. 

Not thinking much of it, she hit video call on his number. Maybe it was for the reconfirmation that this was not Galen. Maybe so she could just go back to smiling and feeling fine again, remembering she was here with people she trusted, people to call on if her father didn't want her. 

Bless the premium package for its network connectivity, though. 

The top of Cassian's head and his eyes were the first things that filled the screen, giving her a brief glimpse of a lit-up background before he adjusted the angle. She could see all of his face now, hear muffled white noise, and see the colour of Kay's shirt a little to the left. His eyes crinkled when he smiled. 

_"Hi! What's with the FaceTime?"_

She used her free hand to clasp the towel at her chest while she smiled back. "Just wanted to make sure Leia hadn't mauled you or anything, for not going along with her plan. Where did Kay drag you?"

A laugh. _"Museum. This place is fantastic, Jyn. I mean, yeah, they're not real bones or anything, but they have these big models and everything is so organised-"_ The screen shifted and swept shakily over the background, passing a disgruntled-looking Kay and several distinct colours a few feet away. The hall was big, bright and crowded. _"They're opening a new wing."_ Back to Cassian. _"Pretty crowded in this part. How's it on your end? Aren't you with Luke and Bodhi?"_

"Give me a sec." She turned her screen upwards while she tucked the towel into the neckline of her one-piece, roughly combing her wet hair backwards. She was starting to feel cold out here. "Yeah, but they still haven't left the water. Looking for fish in it."

She turned the screen towards them so he could see, before bringing it back to her face.

Cassian looked skeptical. _"I don't think a pool made with people in mind is going to have prehistoric fish swimming around in it."_

She grinned. "It doesn't. I'm going to break it to them."

He chortled. _"That's mean."_

"What's mean is Bodhi constantly insulting my camcorder."

Cassian made a face. _"You brought your camcorder? Again?"_

Jyn looked offended. "Well excuse me for documenting the great times we have."

_"We all do the exact same thing with our phones."_

"Phones," echoed Jyn with disgust, although she was fighting back a smile at this point. "Mundane, like the lot of you."

Cassian was going to say something in response, and she would've liked to know what it was, but he was interrupted with Kay tapping on his shoulder. 

_"Tickets,"_ she heard the tall American ask brazenly. _"If you're done flirting over the phone."_

Cassian glared at his friend before it occurred to him that she could still see his face, excused himself, and the camera faced a sea of boots and shoes while he produced the tickets Kay had asked for. There was a bit more confusion on the screen before it finally lifted up to Cassian's face again, which looked decidedly apologetic. 

_"Kay is an ass,"_ he said by way of explanation. _"Sorry about that. Bit of a rush over here."_

She purposefully bit her lip. She would not laugh at something Kay had done. Not again. "You have to go?"

He grimaced. _"That would probably be best. People are giving me looks."_

"I don't doubt that," she snickered, before sobering up. "Okay then. Meet up for lunch?"

_"So long as it fits in with Leia's plan. I don't want to be mauled."_

"I'll ask her and let you know."

_"Okay. Thanks."_ He looked around. _"I kind of have to hang up."_

"I know." Jyn smirked. "Don't look but there's a big guy behind you who'd probably kill you if he sat on you."

Cassian tensed, his eyes going wide. _"He can hear you!"_

"I know." Jyn blew a kiss at the screen. "Good luck."

_"Your good luck won't do jack for my dead body-"_

"I'm hanging up. Oh, he's glaring at you! Careful!"

_"Jyn-!"_

"Hanging up in three, two..."

_"You'd better have garlands for my funeral."_

"Bye Felicia."

Cassian pinched the space between his brows, though she could clearly make out the uptick in the corner of his lips. _"Bye, Jyn. I'll see you at lunch?"_

"Sure. If a dead body can see things."

Cassian rolled his eyes, but she was going to have the final say, and treated him to a malicious grin before thumbing the terminate call button. 

Jyn looked up to see Luke helping Bodhi out of the water, and they looked disappointed when they turned around to tell her they hadn't found anything. She got to her feet to break it to them, a gleeful look on her face now with anticipation and with the good mood the call had left her in- but she made the mistake of sparing her phone one more glance and noticing an open notification window. 

There were two missed calls before Cassian's. One from Leia's number, and one that read _SUITE 334- RECEPTION DESK._

###### 

The Park's headquarters and office complex was located high above the rest of the landscape, glass walls facilitating transparency, and luxury. But the complex was several levels and built in an observatory position, so underneath the single glass box that visitors could see from a distance was a closed-off territory burrowed deep into the rockface. In here there were electricity-run labs that never saw the light of day, complete with blast doors, radioactive zones and incubator pods for breeding multi-million dollar assets.

Orson Krennic and Bevel Lemelisk were standing in the glass box, watching as the grass around the helipad tore off in different directions. 

"Any news from Galen?" Krennic asked, not shifting his gaze. There was impatience but no expectation in his voice. The question was being asked for the tenth time in as many minutes. 

Lemelisk had stopped trying to reach the man after two missed calls. Krennic wasn't the wiser. "Afraid not, Director."

Orson muttered something indiscernible under his breath. "I don't assume Tarkin likes to stall."

"I suppose not."

The helicopter was slowing down, finally, blades circling towards an unwilling stop. The grass was settling, too. They left the box and stepped out into the sun and the earth only when the coast was clear. 

Krennic's stiff white tunic fluttered in the last bit of aggressive wind, and he stood before the helicopter's open entrance as its passengers clambered out. Motti, whose stature wasn't built for swift leaps, made it out taking due precaution and expressed his displeasure with a grunt. Tarkin's descent was almost graceful. 

"Director," greeted the thin man, and even at this distance Krennic could note the sharp features that made his face, the dark rims of his eyes that screamed authority. "Always an honour. I hope the asset is ready for inspection?"

Krennic stood up straighter, if that possible. "You're early."

Tarkin wasn't the sort of man to roll his eyes or snort. He had an array of different expressions that conveyed his feelings in a clipped, reserved manner. "What's two hours to four years, Orson? Don't tell us that you need a hundred and twenty minutes more to add the finishing touches to this dinosaur."

Krennic grinned with no small amount of bitterness. He stared the other man down for a few heartbeats. Tarkin may have himself become an investor in recent years, but any and all respect Krennic held for his position was all on account of the man he and Motti both worked for.

"This is no regular _dinosaur,_ " He drew the words out like a subtle insult. "It's the future of genetic engineering. A creation that challenges the boundaries of human ability through science. Your dollars," Krennic gestured at Lemelisk to lead the way, "have been wisely spent."

"I should hope so," said Tarkin plainly, unaffected. "Now, I don't want to waste your time. Show us what we're here for and let the asset speak for itself."

###### 

Cassian looked over his shoulder as soon as Jyn ended the call, an apology ready for the angry-looking man behind him. But the man had left, and they were passing through a tastefully decorated arch now, alone, to a relatively empty part of the new wing. Heaving a relieved sigh, he turned to ask Kay about their plans for lunch. 

Kay was looking immensely judgemental. 

"What?"

The American shook his head and huffed. "Perhaps you should consider asking Jyn Erso to one of those private dinners at the Canopy advertised outside. Then at least I wouldn't have to witness your terrible advances and the ridiculous amount of time you take to say goodbye."

Cassian scowled at him dangerously, but he didn't appear intimidated in the slightest. Also, the effect was somewhat dampened by his reddening cheeks. "Didn't ask, Kay."

Kay snorted, slipping his hands into his pockets and looking around at their surroundings instead. "For lack of a better response, I assume. It was merely a suggestion. Anyway, there's a panel of people sitting down over there for what I guess is a snippet for the press. Are you interested in whatever they have to say about this wing?"

"Could be enlightening," Cassian murmured, gazing over to the other end of the hall, where a group of people were starting to gather. On the other hand, he wasn't all that fond of crowds, and if it meant he could actually look at the exhibits while everyone else was distracted by the panel, he would gladly forgo it. "But I'm not going to go unless you want to."

"I don't," said Kay. "I would really rather look around."

The new museum wing was vast, polished, and smelled like sandalwood and bark oil. It denoted the history of the Park, and the history of mankind's fascination with bygone eras and extinct animals. Prominently, it had an upscale model of the evolutionary stages of today's birds of paradise, starting from the brightly-coloured archaeopteryx to parrots and riflebirds. Kay pointed out that the earliest known feathered dinosaur probably did not grow to be that large, and Cassian challenged him on it until they both actually read the description panels, which stated in small print that the largest discovered specimen was only one foot and eight inches in length. 

"I didn't know you were so interested in ecology and...history," commented Kay at one point, raising an eyebrow at the timeline-wall they were studying.

Cassian shook his head, trying and failing to contain his interest. "Dinosaurs, really. I wanted to be a paleontologist growing up."

Kay's eyebrow lifted a fraction higher. "Seriously?"

Cassian huffed, defensive. "Well, you know, all kids want to be pilots or crazy scientists and things like that."

"Engineers," said Kay pointedly. 

"I didn't want to be an engineer," said Cassian. "Not until I was in college, anyway, and there were very few subjects I was good at."

Kay regarded his friend carefully. "So your initial life ambition was to...dig up dinosaur bones? As opposed to designing cars?"

Cassian shrugged. "Judge me. I still think it's pretty exciting."

"Everything to be found has already been found."

A long-suffering sigh. "Why must you be like this?"

Some of the crowd was filling out, new faces were trickling in. They both turned to glance at a family of four kids who looked like they'd just bought out the whole souvenir shop.

"Yes, we'll get a fridge magnet from here," said Cassian before Kay could bring it up. "When have I ever been to a place I didn't get you a magnet from, Kay?"

His friend almost sniffed. "You can't take all the credit for my collection. I've traveled more places."

"Excuse me, were you the one who haggled with a vendor for thirty minutes straight to bring home that rare Vietnamese piece?"

"You didn't even know it was rare."

"I got it for your vegetable freezer, didn't I?"

Enter a screaming six-year-old with a Steggasaurus-shaped helium balloon, her tired-looking grandparents, and a man in a stiff white suit who looked incredibly out of place among the visitors.

Greying beard, disheveled hair, a lanyard around his neck confirming his status as a Park employee. The man's eyes were weighed down with dark circles and stress had done a number on him.

But prominent blue eyes. Sharp and aware of the world around him. He had the look of a learnered man, one who maybe hadn't chosen the right career path. He looked familiar. 

"Shit," muttered Cassian under his breath.

What planets had aligned to grant him the unfortunate opportunity of seeing Galen Erso in person for the first time? 

Kay followed his gaze. "What's wrong?"

"Look down," hissed Cassian, already starting to back away. "Just follow my lead. Keep reading the plates."

Kay took a painful eternity to turn around, his back to Galen Erso. "You do realise he has no idea who we are?"

Cassian shook his head. "He's going to meet us eventually, and I don't want there to be a time before that where he saw us. Just don't draw attention to yourself."

"I really don't see the necessity. The chances of him making note of us, of all the people in this room, are extremely low. We are not walking advertisements for the souvenir shop, and we are not wearing any of those revolting... _light up sneakers,_ either. Acting inconspicuous on purpose, however, might catch his eye as well as that of the security personnel scattered around this room."

Cassian closed his eyes and counted to five, prepared to make an offer such as a week's worth of vacuuming in exchange for his friend's coorporation, but it was already too late by then.

It shouldn't have been possible, but Galen Erso was looking at them. 

Directly at them. 

As if he was mentally trying to place something, go by a picture description or the like. Studying. Thinking. 

"Impossible," commented Kay to a side, even as it happened. "The chances are slim."

But then there was a tap of a mic, someone testing the sound system for the press panel, and Galen seemed to snap out of his daze. He was looking toward the crowd in an instant. Hands in coat pockets, looking only mildly interested. But his body wasn't angled their way, either, and Cassian could tell with certainty that this man hadn't looked their way on purpose. 

Galen didn't seem to register much else that was going on, though. 

"What are you _doing?_ " hissed Kay. 

"I want to watch the event," answered Cassian, not even glancing back. "It just occurred to me that there'll be paleontologists on that panel. I'll call when I'm ready to leave."

Kay stared incredulously at his friend's retreating form. "You can't be serious!"

"I'll call!"

He was not about to...but no, Cassian had an aptitude for making himself invisible. Even with his height- even with the glasses he hurriedly pulled from out of his pocket and searched with- Kay could find neither his roommate nor the distant-looking scientist, and the accumulation of people in the hall had suddenly manifested to epidemic proportions. 

He faltered. Could it simply be Cassian's interest in whatever the natural history experts had to say? 

Well. 

Shit. 

###### 

Leia had been getting her nails done at the island's luxury spa when the call from Kay came through, and because the spa had put her in a good mood- along with Chirrut's company and the amount of shopping they'd done that morning- she'd agreed to meet up for lunch.

"So we _are_ including the rest of them in our plans for the day?" Chirrut had intoned good-naturedly. 

"Don't needle her," Baze had quipped. 

"They give really good pedicures here," she'd commented. 

Kay's choice venue was the food court outside of the museum, where he, Jyn, Luke and Bodhi were already waiting. They ordered and collected their lunch before joining them. 

Leia's brows dipped slightly after the initial smiles and greetings. "Where's Cassian?"

Luke and Bodhi were eating like pigs, and only looked up to acknowledge her question with a shrug. They still had wet hair that was dripping. Exhaustion from the swim, she supposed, because while Jyn actually took care to respond, her plate was piled high with saucy fries and there was a big bucket of chicken wings before her that nobody else seemed to be eating out of.

"Still in the museum, apparently. They just opened a new section and they're having a special event there."

"It's unlike him to hang around at events," Leia sat down opposite Jyn, setting her bags down with care. Luke shot an incredulous look in her direction, but she lifted her chin up and dared him to comment on her haul. 

"His phone is switched off," said Kay. "Why he felt the need to make an extra effort to inconvenience us, I cannot guess. But he assured me he'd call."

"Maybe he's one of those people who keep their phones switched off by default," guessed Jyn through a mouth of food. She munched a bit more before swallowing. "Probably wouldn't _inconvenience_ you on purpose, you know."

"If his phone was always switched off he wouldn't have responded to your FaceTime," huffed Kay. "He definitely did it on purpose."

"You FaceTimed him?" asked Bodhi, feigning hurt. "How come I never get a FaceTime?"

Jyn flipped him with a fry, and he laughed.

Leia wrinkled her nose in distaste. "You guys have shit table manners."

"Seconded," muttered Kay. 

Chirrut tapped the table for attention. "Let's not fight now," he said pleasantly. "This time would be best used planning the rest of the day. Leia, Baze and I were planning on going for the evening show at the WaterPark, and it would be hugely convenient if we all went at the same time."

"I don't think I'm up for any more swimming," admitted Luke, reaching for his second submarine. "Can we go look at, like, desert dinosaurs?"

"Desert dinosaurs," repeated Baze with a snort, like there was something funny about the term.

"The WaterPark is an aquarium," explained Chirrut. "And they have an evening show which will involve water dinosaurs, I assume."

"Water dinosaurs," snickered Bodhi. 

"I really don't get what's so funny," said Leia. 

"Guys," Jyn sighed. " _Marine reptiles._ Did none of you read the brochures or any of the blaring adverts that are all over this place?"

"Can I have a wing?" asked Luke. 

"Sure."

"Kay?" asked Leia pointedly. "Are you joining us or not?"

The American shrugged. "I don't see me having a choice in the matter."

"Hey, don't make it seem like we're forcing you!"

"But you are."

Baze snorted. "I really think this is because it just occurred to you that Leia's plan makes sense."

Kay narrowed his eyes, but Bodhi interrupted before he could comment.

"I hate to break the ice, but is anyone else up for seconds?"

###### 

Galen knew he had no right to involve himself in his daughter's business. He wasn't in a position to make decisions for her or contribute his efforts to something that was her personal affair. Which was why, despite catching sight of Jyn's handsome Mexican boyfriend at the new wing opening- he had several proofs; it was the venue the receptionist had suggested for finding his daughter at, and he'd spent the walk here guiltily going through Cassian Andor's social media- Galen hadn't made contact.

He had no right to be curious about his daughter's relationships. Other Park employees- ones that didn't work the same shifts he did- often discussed such details about their own children, and believed it was only naural for them to seek out information, but those were fathers who _knew_ their daughters.

Anyway, if Lyra approved of him, he was probably a great guy.

_Lyra had approved of Galen too, once, and look where they were now._

He shook his head. No right. 

Lemelisk had left him two ring-cuts, and Krennic had also called once. He should be heading back. It was possible the investors had flown in early, although he couldn't imagine anyone wanting to get to business right away after the exhausting two-hour journey by helicopter. 

And he was about to do just that before he walked right into another guy trying to leave the building. 

"Sorry," said Galen at once, straightening up, and he decided to be a gracious Park employee and offer an apologetic smile to go with it, but some comedic force of the universe decided to do _this._

"No, I should apologise," said Cassian absently, blinking a few times before seeing him. "Wasn't looking where I was-"

Ah. So he knew who he was. Galen reared back a little in the face of the disbelieving stare projected his way. 

"Sorry," Cassian shook his head, like he was telling himself to snap out of it. "My fault. Er, this may come off as odd, but are you...?"

Galen stared dumbly. 

"Nevermind. I should- probably just get going."

His mouth spoke before his brain caught up. "No, wait."

Jyn's boyfriend stopped in his tracks, because he'd been about to run. Probably politely. The guy was infernally polite. If any other parent he knew personally was credible, he should really look into the negative things. "I am obliged in my capacity as an official here to answer anything you ask. Is there any way I might be of help?"

He looked hesitant for the longest moment during which Galen tried his best not to appear intimidating- and how could he, really, in a stark white lab coat next to this guy's combination of roll-up sleeves and cargo pants- before asking the question he'd initially meant to ask.

"I'm with Jyn."

A heartbeat. 

"Oh," Galen stood back straighter. "I see. How have you...has everything been in order, so far?"

Internally he winced. Smooth.

But Cassian's eyes widened and he nodded. "It's been great. Thank you, by the way, for arranging it. Today we're just...looking around, getting familiar."

"I can help if you need it," he said without thinking, then, realizing he'd just shot himself in the foot, he laughed self-deprecatingly and amended, "Well, if I ever get time off work, that is. But I've made sure I have some time off. How's, uh, how's Jyn?"

"Fine." Cassian stuffed his hands into his pockets. "So, if you don't mind me asking- and, you know, just so we can plan our week here- when are you free to drop by?"

He hadn't really thought about it. He definitely would have, if he'd remembered this trip in the first place, but he needed answers fast. 

"I was planning on calling and dropping by tonight," he lied casually. "Unless you have other plans, of course."

"No plans," assured Cassian. "That'll be great, actually."

"Alright. Good."

"Good."

Crowds were starting to leave the museum, and accumulate in the food court which was barely visible from here. His phone started buzzing in his pocket. 

"I have to go," said Galen. 

"See you around," said Cassian, politely and without preamble, to his relief. 

"Seven o'clock?"

"Sounds good."

He nodded curtly before making his leave, Krennic's contact flashing on his phone screen, and was more than okay with walking away from the most awkward conversation he'd ever had in this lifetime.

Galen didn't see Cassian drop his shoulders and frown slightly. He didn't know that he'd just bought an act. 

But the verdict of the investors wasn't the only thing clawing at the back of his mind with uncertainty by the time he made it to the new asset's enclosure.


End file.
